5 Reasons Not To
by rekahneko
Summary: Remus reminds himself about why his friendship with Sirius shouldn't be tampered with. Slash, RLSB
1. Chapter 1

**5 Reasons Not To**

By Rekahneko

Warnings: This is slash. If you aren't sure what that means, you can look it up if you want. If you don't like slash, you probably won't want to read it because that would just be silly.

ooooooooooooooo

Remus Lupin and Sirius Black were walking down a hallway in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry between classes. It was turning out to be a pleasant spring day, sunny and warm and the whole school seemed to be in a happy and relaxed mood. The laid back atmosphere was broken suddenly when the black haired boy stopped in his tracks, made a loud exclamation and hit himself in the forehead.

"Uhh, Padfoot?" Remus inquired, wondering if his friend had finally lost it.

"Moony! I totally forgot to do my Care of Magical Creatures homework that is due this afternoon and I don't have a single free hour before then! Maybe if I skip History of Magic or something…" Sirius managed to produce a tragic look while wringing his hands. "I really need a good grade after what happened last month with the bowtruckles."

"Well, um… I have the next few hours free. If you want, I could do it for you," Remus said tentatively. "I mean, only since it is so important," he added as an afterthought.

"You would do that for me? Remus! You are an angel!" Sirius beamed at his classmate and threw his arms around the shorter boy for a bone-crushing hug. "I absolutely adore you, you know?"

Remus pulled away from the hug, smiling a bit and trying not to blush. "I would say 'any time,' but I am afraid you might take me up on that."

Sirius grinned and draped an arm around his friend's shoulders, hauling him close. "You are always so great to me Moony!" Remus smiled but looked away and absently fingered a piece of paper that stuck out a little bit from the pocket in his robe.

"Remus, why do you always carry that big of dog-eared parchment around with you so much? I know it is the same one because it still has that stain from when I spilled pumpkin juice all over it last month."

"It is just lucky, that's all." Remus mumbled, looking down at his feet and shuffling uncomfortably.

"You have a lucky blank parchment." There was a short pause as Sirius put on his best pensive look. "Remus, you are a little odd, you know that?"

Flashing an amused smile over at his friend, Sirius steered the conversation to the next quidditch match as the two boys continued their way down the hall.

ooooooooooooooo

That evening, Remus found himself alone in the seventh year boys dormitory. Two of his roommates were at quidditch practice and one was in the common room playing chess. He carefully took out the parchment he had carried around all day and unfolded it. Remus looked around to be absolutely sure that he was alone and then softly said, "Reasons Not To" while tapping the paper with his wand. He began to re-read what he had written so long ago.

_5 Reasons Not To:_

_1. He likes girls. So far as I can tell, he only likes girls. He would probably be upset at the idea of dating a guy._

_2. Even if he was okay with dating a guy, the kinds of people he dates tend to be beautiful like he is. Somehow I don't think he would be interested in a pale, skinny, sickly boy covered in scars._

_3. If he could see beyond my looks, what about my personality? He only dates outgoing, popular people (once again, like he is). The only popularity I have comes from being a Marauder and I am much too shy, quiet, studious, and rule bound for him. He can barely deal with me as a friend sometimes – think of all the occasions when he complains about me studying too much or how he teases me when I fret about breaking rules._

_4. Let's say he gets past all of that and is still interested. How long do his relationships last? 2 weeks at most? You know you are already (in love is scratched out) attached, imagine how much worse it will get in those two weeks and how difficult it will be when he drops you._

_5. Still want to take the risk? Well think about the friendship you two have. You would probably still be alone and friendless if he hadn't approached you on the train in first year and practically forced you to be his friend. He tolerates all of your bad points and encourages all your good ones. Not only did he accept the fact that you are a werewolf (and how many people in the world would?), he even became an animagus for you for goodness sake! You are lucky to know him at all and blessed to be his friend. Don't screw it up by betting it all on an improbable relationship._

The title had changed a bit over the years and the '5' had been crossed out and replaced with '4.' This corresponded to the slash through the first item on the list. There were also small question marks inscribed next to the second and third items.

Remus sighed heavily as he intoned, "Just Friends" while tapping the paper. The words vanished. He re-folded the now blank parchment and tucked it into his pocket. Eyes momentarily closed, Remus rubbed his forehead. After a moment, he shook himself out of his mood, finally opening his Charms book and starting on his homework.


	2. Chapter 2

**5 Reasons Not To**

Chapter 2 of 2 (used to be a one-shot – but apparently I can't leave well enough alone)

By Rekahneko

Notes: For Elpin, since she asked for a second chapter. Thanks for being such a rocking writer (and reviewer!).

ooooooooooooooo

"Bored, bored, bored. Booooooooored!" Sirius Black muttered his complaints to the grey stone walls of an empty fifth floor corridor.

Sirius Black had been bored all day. For most people, boredom was easily cured and not at all the end of the world, but for Sirius Black, it felt stifling. That trapped feeling overcame him and he had to do something, anything, to make it go away. Everyone who knew him even remotely well scattered to the winds when he got that particular bored look in his eyes because it also spelled chaos and destruction.

Today had been one of those days, the kind that made Sirius antsy and restless, suffocated and irritable. The type of day that pushed him to do something for the sole reason of seeing what kind of pandemonium it could create. In short, he was bored.

Sirius had looked around for something to do, he really had. It was a Saturday but it was raining outside, it wasn't a Hogsmeade weekend, and he didn't even have Quidditch practice on account of the team captain having a date. He inwardly cursed the team captain, a certain messy haired seeker, and then followed that with some colorful language regarding Gryffindor's redheaded, female prefect. If James hadn't been his best friend, he would be out sabotaging their date. As it was, he had stopped after putting a singing spell in James' toothpaste.

All the best Slytherins to hex seemed to be staying in the dungeons, almost as if they knew his mood. The Ravenclaws were all in the library, as usual, and the Hufflepuffs ran away from him. His friend Remus had been working diligently on a Potions essay, and there was no way he was going to willingly spend time alone with the last remaining Marauder, Peter. No one to torture, no one to play with.

After a frustrating hour walking around the castle, hoping for inspiration to strike, he found himself back in the Gryffindor common room. For a moment, he thought about going outside into the dreary rain. Instead, Sirius decided to engage in one of his favorite activities, flirting with his friend Remus.

"Moooooooooony!" Sirius bellowed across the common room. His friend was tucked comfortably in a plush chair over by the fireplace, reading some old dusty tome or other. Remus looked up, rolled his eyes and, smiling, waved his fingers.

Sirius bounced over to Remus and plopped down in his lap, right on top of the book.

"Sirius!" Remus' cheeks were pink as he tried unsuccessfully to dislodge his larger friend from his book and his lap.

"You look so lonely, sitting here by the fire all by yourself. And so cute, of course." Sirius wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Um, thanks Sirius. Can you get off my book now, please?" Remus tried to sound as if he were not at all affected by the presence of the large quidditch player in his lap.

Sirius loved playing this game with Remus, though he wasn't entirely sure what Remus thought of it. Sirius would flirt, Remus would blush and stutter. It was all kinds of fun and entertained him for hours at a time. The only thing more fun would be if Remus were actually interested in him and flirted back. Sadly, that had yet to happen. Sirius was an eternal optimist though, and kept bothering Remus, hoping. Thankfully, the blond boy never got angry at him; the worst he did was to gently disentangle himself from the situation and walk away.

The black haired wizard grinned at his friend and produced his wand. After a quick incantation, there was a loud pop and the book disappeared. And reappeared, stuck to the ceiling, much to the dismay of Remus Lupin.

"Sirius! I was reading that." Remus tried for a stern look. Sirius just laughed and threw his arms around the werewolf.

"You read too much. If it weren't for me, you would have turned into a bookshelf by now, Moony. Really, you need time for some fun."

Remus smiled ruefully, "And you think it is enjoyable to have a 300 pound gorilla in my lap?"

"Hey! I didn't eat that much at lunch. I think…" Sirius made a production out of poking himself in the stomach.

Remus laughed. "Okay, you have tortured me enough. Now get up so I can find my wand and hex you. Or at least get my book down from the ceiling, please."

With a smile and a shake of his head, Sirius said, "You would never hex me. You are too good natured, Moony."

"I can see you are clearly upset by that," Remus retorted, blushing a bit at the compliment.

Finally relenting, Sirius moved off of his friend only to sit down again, right next to him. Since they were on a chair meant for one, this didn't give Remus all that much additional breathing room. "So entertain me, Remus. I am bored."

"Well, what do you want to do?"

Sirius thought of a number of things he wanted to do with the werewolf, but somehow restrained himself from mentioning them. "How about we go to the library…" Remus looked at him suspiciously. "…and prank some Ravenclaws."

"And here I thought you might want to spend a quiet Saturday afternoon there with me, reading one of the ancient texts on magical theory."

"If you were there, Moony, I am sure I would enjoy it," Sirius declared. Leaning close to his friend's ear, he continued in his best soft, sexy voice, "but you would have to offer me something pretty amazing in return, you know."

Remus squirmed but managed to retort, "how about a pair of Peter's old socks?"

Sirius threw his head back and laughed. "I swear you have the soul of a romantic poet, Moony!"

Eyes still sparkling with mirth, Sirius suggested, "Why don't I go find some marshmallows and cocoa and we can sit here by the fire for a while. Want anything else from the kitchens?"

"Thank you, Sirius, that is a generous offer." Remus smiled into the amused grey eyes next to him. "Curry if they have it, or maybe dessert?"

"What an odd combination. If I didn't know you so well, I would be surprised." Sirius knew his friend always enjoyed something spicy with something sweet.

He bounded up off of his friend and jogged down to the kitchens to pick up some drinks and snacks. Sirius made sure to cover himself with the borrowed invisibility cloak before opening the passage to the kitchens. He didn't want everyone to know where it was or visiting the kitchens wouldn't be as fun.

When he returned, Sirius noticed that Remus was staring blankly into the fire and absently fingering that same piece of paper again.

_Lucky parchment my ass_, he thought. _It must have something written on it that only he can read. Or maybe a picture. I wonder what it is._

"Are you fondling your favorite piece of paper again, Remus? What have I told you about public displays of affection? Only if it is with me."

"Padfoot!" The werewolf was blushing, yet again. He tucked the paper back into his pocket.

Sirius had a sudden thought. "Hey, Moony? I just realized I forgot the cloak in the kitchens. Can you keep my cocoa hot? I will meet you up in the dorm in about half an hour. Maybe longer if I meet Filch or some Slytherins."

"Don't get into trouble…"

"No worries, when do I ever get into trouble?" Remus laughed. "See ya in a while, Moony!"

Sirius left the common room, ducked into a corner, and put on the cloak. He waited a minute or two until someone else was using the portrait door and proceeded to back into the room. Remus was slowly gathering his things, deep in thought. Sirius followed him up the stairs, trying to be as quiet as possible.

The super hearing one book said werewolves were supposed to have was a complete myth, and for once, Sirius was glad of it. In fact, Remus had rather poor hearing (or he was distracted quite often which was more likely to be the case). Sirius was able to follow his friend and Remus never suspected a thing.

He watched with interest as Remus opened up the parchment, said an incantation and proceeded to carefully examine it. Sirius didn't want to get too close and risk Remus noticing his presence but he vowed to 'borrow' the paper later that evening and see for himself what it said and why Remus liked to keep it so close.

ooooooooooooooo

That night, after Remus was asleep, Sirius cast a quick silencing spell and snuck over to the edge of Remus' bed. The sleeping boy's robe was hanging on the corner of the bed and Sirius carefully and quietly pulled out the piece of paper he was after. Tiptoeing back to his bed, he closed his curtains and lit his wand. As the incantation was spoken out loud, writing on the paper slowly appeared.

The shock in Sirius' eyes would have been evident to any onlookers but he was thankfully alone. Soon enough the surprise was replaced by delight. Sirius sat thoughtfully for a long while staring into space before finally summing his quill and ink. The rest of his evening consisted of the faint sound of a quill scratching against a parchment, the rustling of fabric as a piece of paper was returned to its owner, and then silence as Sirius let sleep take him, a faint grin still on his face.

ooooooooooooooo

Sunday morning found Sirius with a spring in his step and a smile on his face. Breakfast was spent humming a lighthearted tune to himself softly between bites of cereal and smiling at his spoon. The rest of the morning consisted of the Marauders sitting under their favorite tree, goofing off, and doing homework (for Sirius, more of the former than the latter).

All day he stayed in a delightful mood, smiling and laughing. The afternoon came and went, and finally, Sirius looked around him and felt that it was time. He and Remus were together in the common room again, and more importantly, their dorm room was empty.

The happy smile Sirius had worn throughout the day turned a bit predatory as he eyed his sandy haired classmate. Once again, the boy was curled up in his favorite armchair, reading a book.

"Moony, what are you up to?"

"Nothing much, Padfoot. Just reading."

Sirius perched himself on the arm of the chair and peered down at the book. "It looks boring. Are you sure you don't want to do something else?"

Remus just shrugged, smiling a bit.

"Your hair falls in your face a lot." Sirius reached out toward Remus and tucked a piece of hair behind an ear, fingers lingering a bit longer than strictly necessary.

Eyes widening, Remus stared back at Sirius.

"You know, I believe you have the most amazing eyes of anyone I have ever met," Sirius said as he stared intently at his classmate. The other boy had frozen and was looking a bit like a deer in the headlights.

Sirius leaned closer and ran a finger down Remus' cheek, whispering, "Moony." He could feel the shiver that went through the boy's body and knew it was desire, but Sirius made no protest as Remus pulled away and got up from the chair.

"I think I am going upstairs for a bit, Padfoot. I will see you later." Remus was looking at the floor as he spoke and a light blush colored his features.

_What willpower_, Sirius thought as he watched Remus walk away. The boy was absently fingering the parchment in his pocket. Sirius smiled to himself.

ooooooooooooooo

Remus reached the dorm room and sat down heavily on his bed, sighing.

He buried his head in his hands. Staying away from Sirius was becoming so difficult. It was days like this when he had trouble remembering why exactly he was distancing himself. Out of habit, Remus reached for his parchment, tapping it while quietly repeating the incantation.

Remus did a double take as the paper revealed its contents. There was writing after each entry and even in the margins and it didn't belong to him. He looked around his wildly, wondering if this was some sort of prank. The room was just as empty as before though, so Remus looked back at his parchment and nervously started reading.

**5 Reasons Not To:**

**1. He likes girls. So far as I can tell, he only likes girls. He would probably be upset at the idea of dating a guy**__

_I noticed you crossed this one out. Actually, it's true, I do like girls. I just like boys better. Especially ones with thick blond and brown hair that you want to run your hands through all the time. There is even a bit of red in there when the sunlight hits it just right… Mmmm, Moony hair._

**2. Even if he was okay with dating a guy, the kinds of people he dates tend to be beautiful like he is. Somehow I don't think he would be interested in a pale, skinny, sickly boy covered in scars.**

_Hey! You be nice to my Moony. He is quite good-looking I will have you know. I drool over him on a regular basis and everyone knows I have fantastic taste. Why are you always so obsessed with thinking your scars are ugly? I stick with what I said first year when I first saw them; they are 'wicked cool.' But now I will have to add that they can also be quite sexy. Of course, I find most things about you rather sexy, so there you are._

**3. If he could see beyond my looks, what about my personality? He only dates outgoing, popular people (once again, like he is). The only popularity I have comes from being a Marauder and I am much too shy, quiet, studious, and rule bound for him. He can barely deal with me as a friend sometimes – think of all the occasions when he complains about me studying too much or how he teases me when I fret about breaking rules.**

_I adore your personality. I am convinced it was made to be a perfect complement to my own. Okay, okay, I admit that I do in fact think you study too much. I mean, honestly, no one needs that much extra credit! And I complain about you working too hard because you leave me all alone when you study. On the other hand, I tease you for getting all worried about being caught for our pranking only because it is so cute. You wrinkle your nose and you bite your lower lip and it is just adorable! When I see you fret I want to ravish you on the spot. I am sensing a trend here._

**4. Let's say he gets past all of that and is still interested. How long do his relationships last? 2 weeks at most? You know you are already (in love is scratched out) attached, imagine how much worse it will get in those two weeks and how difficult it will be when he drops you.**

_For shame, Remus, you seem to have a decided lack of faith in me. I just haven't found the right person to date before now. Did you ever consider that I might be waiting for a particular someone before I begin a serious relationship? Perhaps a certain individual who is already a friend and knows me well? Someone I am sure is compatible and someone I know cares for me as much as I care for him? A person who wouldn't use me for my (brilliantly amazing) looks and would never abandon me… Perhaps someone as charming and wonderful as a certain Remus Lupin? And what exactly did you scratch out? _

**5. Still want to take the risk? Well think about the friendship you two have. You would probably still be alone and friendless if he hadn't approached you on the train in first year and practically forced you to be his friend. He tolerates all of your bad points and encourages all your good ones. Not only did he accept the fact that you are a werewolf (and how many people in the world would?), he even became an animagus for you for goodness sake! You are lucky to know him at all and blessed to be his friend. Don't screw it up by betting it all on an improbable relationship.**

_I never realized that I meant this much to you. I think you must be the only person in the world who actually believes they are better off having met me. After encountering me, instead of lucky and blessed, most people seem annoyed and stressed. I always assumed that you would know you could never lose my friendship, no matter what happened between us. _

_You are more important to me than you seem to understand. I might have gotten you to come out of your shy little shell (actually, I am still working on that), but you were the one who taught me the meaning of friendship. You are always there for me when I needed you and you have forgiven me, even when I have done truly terrible things (you know what I am talking about, and once again, I am so very sorry, Remus). You make me a better person. This is one of the many reasons why I want to be with you. Is being with me so improbable? I hope not._

_All of that said, you realize I am never going to lay off bugging you now that I know how you feel, so you had better just give up right now and agree to date me so that we can live happily ever after and whatnot. Hopefully lots and lots of whatnot, every night, you sexy werewolf, you._

Staring blankly at the words in front him, Remus tied to formulate a coherent thought in his head. All he could come up with was, _Sirius knows!_

"Well," said a voice from behind him.

Remus squeaked and whirled around, finding Sirius leaning nonchalantly against a bedpost. "Invisibility cloak," he said with his most devilishly handsome grin.

"Sirius!" Remus couldn't think of anything else to say. He was dumbstruck by what he had read on his favorite lucky parchment.

"Moony," was the reply, "I meant everything I wrote you know."

"Oh," said Remus, still bereft of words.

Sirius closed the distance between them, "Especially the last part where I said I wouldn't let up, now that I know how you feel."

Remus just blinked at him, not quite sure what to do.

Luckily, it seemed that Sirius was not at all unsure. His arms wrapped themselves around the smaller boy and pulled him close. "You aren't mad that I borrowed your parchment, are you?"

Shaking his head, Remus began to lose his surprised expression. It was rapidly being replaced with one of contentment. "I'm not angry." He paused for a moment. "You really mean it? What you wrote?"

"Yeah, I really do."

Remus smiled, wondering at the speed with which all his careful reasoning had been overcome.

"Ready for some whatnot?" Sirius grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.

Laughing, Remus snuggled into the other boy's embrace.


End file.
